Snow Report – Feb 21st 2017

Lots of sun. Lots of snow on the way. That’s the long and short of it but here are a few more details that may be of interest. Currently, goggle tan lines are at an all time high in resort. In other, more important news, the pistes are very firm with lots of grip. The snow is thin on the ground in some places, especially on some of the itinerary runs such as Tortin where rocks have been exposed requiring some cautious manoeuvring. However, that is soon to change with the aforementioned snow, on the way.

Latest Avalanche Risk

On Thursday, last week, the Avalanche Risk dropped down a notch to moderate. If you have forgotten or didn’t know in the first place, a moderate risk is the second lowest rating. The reason there is still a risk of avalanches occurring is because of what lurks beneath. Deep beneath the snow, there are weak layers of snow in some places which can be released by us as winter sports enthusiasts. It should be stated, these areas are rare and hard to recognise so if you are venturing into back country areas, be sure you have the correct equipment and knowledge. The specific areas to be cautious of are southwest to north to southeast facing slopes above 2200m. In relation to Verbier, above Ruinette and those facing aspects.

Outlook

The topic of most conversations from those that inhabit this wonderful resort is that we could really do with a bit more snow. Early forecasting predicts a significant amount of fresh snow is due to fall from Friday and over the weekend. To give you a better idea, approximately 30-40cm. Whether it ends up being 30cm or 40cm, there are certainly going to be plenty of happy skiers and snowboarders enjoying the plethora of skiing available here.